HNE is a degradative enzyme implicated in a significant number of human disease states such as adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), emphysema, inflammatory bowel disease, ischemia reperfusion injury (myocardial infarction), periodontal disease, dermatitis, psoriasis, cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, artherosclerosis, alzheimers disease and arthritis. There is a need for effective inhibitors of HNE as therapeutic and as prophylactic agents for the treatment and/or prevention of elastase-mediated problems. Typical prior efforts to deal with elastase inhibition are disclosed in the patent literature, for instance U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,241 and 4,801,610.